Japanese with Manga

A grater on the shelf with すり下ろす

Vocabulary Explanation: Collocations for cooking

Kaede, a young woman with long, light hair and a cardigan, stands at a kitchen counter holding a plate with two apples. Three speech balloons surround her, one rising from the right edge of the panel.
のんのんびより » Volume 8 » Page 126

Renge is home in bed with a cold, and Kaede from the candy shop has dropped by with snacks, though she claims she only came to deliver a pillow. Renge’s older sister Kazuho heads off to make dinner and promises Renge some grated apple. Kaede offers to help, and the two go to the kitchen.

楓(かえで):
「りんごってこれでいいんすか」
“Are these the apples you want?”
Literal: “As for apples, is this okay?”
一穂(かずほ):
「うん　棚(たな)のとこにすり下(お)ろすのあるから　それお願(ねが)いできる？」
“Yeah. There's a grater over by the shelf, so could you do that for me?”
Literal: “Yes. Because there's a thing for grating at the shelf, can I ask you for that?”
楓(かえで):
「ういっす」
“You got it.”

Key Points

1すり下(お)ろす = to grate
  • すり下(お)ろす means to rub food against a grater until it turns to pulp. It joins 擦(す)る (to rub) and 下(お)ろす (to grate). It’s also written すりおろす or 擦(す)り下(お)ろす.
  • The food takes を: りんごをすり下(お)ろす, しょうがをすり下(お)ろす. Grated apple, すりおろしりんご, is the classic food for a sick child in Japan, which is why Kazuho makes it for Renge.
  • Back in the living room, Kazuho said りんごすったやつ, “grated apple”. Plain する (擦る) can mean to grate too.
2すり下(お)ろすの = a grater
  • の after a verb can stand for a thing: すり下(お)ろすの is “the thing for grating”. The proper word is おろし金(がね), but in casual speech people often describe a tool by what it does instead of naming it.
  • Kazuho also drops the が after it. Spelled out, the clause is すり下(お)ろすのがある, “there’s a grater”.
3棚(たな)のとこに = over by the shelf
  • とこ is a casual clipping of ところ, “place”. 棚(たな)のところに means at or around the shelf, not necessarily on it.
4〜から　それお願(ねが)いできる？ = so could you do that?
  • から gives the reason for the request that follows. The grater is right there, so Kaede can do the grating.
  • お願(ねが)いできる？ is the potential of お願(ねが)いする, “to ask a favor”: “can I ask you to do it?” それ points to the grating.
5いいんすか and ういっす
  • Kazuho is Kaede’s senpai from school. いいんすか is a clipped いいんですか, “is this okay?”, with 〜んです asking about the situation.
  • ういっす is a casual “yes” or “got it”. っす keeps a little respect for a senior without sounding stiff.
  • りんごって marks りんご as the topic. Casual speech often uses って where formal speech would use は.

Vocabulary

(Apple)

りんご is an apple. It is also written リンゴ, or 林檎 in kanji.

(This)

これ points to something close to the speaker, or to the thing just mentioned.

(Good)

いい describes something good, nice, or fine. It can also mean “okay” or “that’s enough”. Its other forms come from よい, as in よくない and よかった.

(Shelf)

棚(たな) is a shelf or rack for keeping things on, such as in a cupboard, a store, or a kitchen.

(Place)

とこ is a casual, shortened form of ところ, “place”.

(To grate)

すり下(お)ろす is to rub food against a grater until it turns into pulp. It is also written すりおろす.

(To exist)

ある is to exist or be in a place, for things and plants rather than people or animals. It also means to have something, or for an event to take place.

(That)

それ points to something near the listener, or to something just mentioned.

(Request)

お願(ねが)い is a request or favor. On its own, it also means “please”. お願(ねが)いする means to ask someone for something.

(To be able to)

できる is to be able to do something. It also means something is finished or made. It is also written 出来(でき)る.

See Also

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